Arts in Action in partnership with the Lions Club of Stonnington is very proud to host a fundraiser screening of “OPERATION: Emotional Freedom – The Answer” a multi-award winning feature length documentary. The film records the successful use of energy therapy technique EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) to transform a group of volunteer combat vets from suicidal, addicted, aggressive chronic behaviors, to leading normal, manageable lives without medications.

The screening will take place on Remembrance Day as part of the 11/11 PTSD and Trauma Awareness Day, a global event founded by the film’s Producer Eric Huurre. The Melbourne screening will take place on the 11th November 2011 at The Glen Eira Town Hall Theatrette Caulfield at 7.30pm with doors open from 6pm. Representatives from the Victorian EFT Practitioner’s Network (VEPN) will be available on the night of the screening to offer information, resources, DVD’s, contacts, advice and to deliver mini sessions before the scheduled screening. The event includes guest speakers, a panel discussion and a skype Q & A session with Producer Eric Huurre from Canada.

The 11/11 PTSD and Trauma Awareness Day is an acknowledgement and proactive extension of November 11th – the recognized global day of remembering and honoring veterans of military combat. The creation and production of the 11/11 PTSD and Trauma Awareness Day Event aims to promote personal and lasting healing from war-related trauma through energy psychology (EFT and tapping,) while honoring everyone touched by war.

Across the world 11/11 live events and online coverage of those events will pay tribute to those touched by war – veterans, their families, communities and all others affected, and in many cases, traumatized by exposure to war. 11/11 PTSD and Trauma Awareness Day will showcase how others have been helped to reduce and remove the memories and affects of trauma, while offering everyone the same model for healing and the resources and contacts to do so.

This groundbreaking documentary is a hard hitting look at the current state of health care for combat veterans in America diagnosed with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder.)

The film sets about examining the myths and misconceptions surrounding the medical/chemical approach to treating PTSD and why drugs are not “the answer” that pharmaceuticals promise. Instead, the film follows a group of volunteer vets and their families on a journey through a newer vision of health and healing for PTSD and trauma.

This Skywriter Communications project is the culmination of a two year process to document an innovative therapy for treating the physical and emotional effects arising in an increasing number of combat veterans and their families.

“This is an extraordinary and very important film that anyone involved in dealing with wartime Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) will want to see.” ~Daniel J. Benor, MD, International Journal of Healing and Caring

Working with a team of experienced practitioners and a group of volunteer PTSD-diagnosed vets from Vietnam to the present Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, this historic film records the therapy and follow-up of those individuals who were documented undergoing treatment as well as the hundreds of other volunteer veterans who participated in a national research and testing study – The Iraq Vets Stress Project http://www.stressproject.org

Included in the materials to come out of this unprecedented two year journey into the hell and back of PTSD-affected service men and women are a feature length documentary Special; a multi-part broadcast length series; and a DVD training course for practitioners and others working or living with veterans affected by trauma.

A significant goal of the project is to spread awareness of the option to treat PTSD with a low-cost, fast, non-chemical therapy not currently in widespread use in Veterans Administration care facilities while sharing the remarkable healing journeys of the combat veterans and their families and friends featured in this groundbreaking film. Where there was little or no hope for significant recovery from the effects of complex PTSD, the techniques demonstrated in this pilot project and follow-up provide an irrefutable document of the options and the impact of complimentary therapies at a time when the costs, effectiveness and the ultimate future of hundreds of thousands of returning service people are being compromised.

How the film will benefit the community and raise awareness

This film is of public value as well special interest to holistic and mainstream health care professionals working with PTSD, war veterans, returning soldiers, families and caregivers, energy psychology practitioners, Veteran Affairs personnel and RSL. The stories told in this film are not only inspiring to audiences, the people in this story stand as living examples to veterans and families still struggling with the effects of their condition without the aid of energy therapy techniques.

Among vets who developed PTSD after their military service are some who not only saw the effects of this devastating condition significantly reduced, they have gone on to become trainers and mentors for other veterans.

The notion that“if this can work for these extreme cases, imagine what it can do for me” remains my personal message that the film supports. Producer Eric Huurre

I am pleased to announce a new and exciting 2 part workshop called “Activate Your Potential” where I am teaming up with Andrew Jobling, http://www.andrewjobling.com.au a dynamic and inspirational author and speaker who has over 20 years experience in educating, speaking, business development and health & wellbeing.

Come on a journey with the two A’s and see what is really possible for you! Angie and Andrew will help you create a vision for your future, remove those things that have previously held you back from achieving what you want and then help you put together a simple game plan that will lead you to the results you have always wanted.

You will walk away with the vision, the motivation and the tools to stay ‘in the zone’ until your goals are achieved.

Angie is an Advanced EFT Practitioner and Author of “Tapping For Kids- A Children’s Guide to EFT”. http://www.tappingforkids.com She has been practicing EFT and training in its methods and techniques since 2002. Angie is passionate about teaching people of all ages to use EFT for emotional healing, personal growth and to create abundance in their lives.

Andrew Jobling

Played senior AFL football for the St Kilda Football Club. He has over 20 years experience in educating, speaking, business development and health & wellbeing. Andrew is the author of the bestselling ‘Eat Chocolate, Drink Alcohol and be Lean & Healthy’ and is a dynamic and inspirational speaker who spends his time sharing the secrets that have changed countless lives. http://www.andrewjobling.com.au

Intoducing a new website dedicated to collecting and sharing wonderful, informative and inspiring stories about the use of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) in Australia. This website offers an ongoing growing collection of articles showcasing the work of Australians using EFT in their everyday personal and professional lives.

In sharing these accounts it is hoped that many more Australians and people worldwide gain exposure to the benefits of EFT and are inspired to try it for themselves and incorporate it into their own lives. These accounts demonstrate and highlight the types of personal challenges, big and small that can be overcome by using EFT.

“Susan”, a woman in her late 20’s, was referred to hypnotherapy by her dentist because her severe dental phobia made it impossible for her to have dental work done. She had only had dental cleanings in the past, never needing fillings. But now she had some cavities, and the first time the dentist tried to work on them, she had gone into such panic, literally screaming and flailing in the dental chair, that no work could be done.

She didn’t know where the fear had come from — only that she was terrified of dental work and couldn’t control her panic. I suggested that she sit in my recliner (which might feel like a dentist’s chair!) and close her eyes and tune into the feelings. I asked Susan to describe how she felt. Then we started with EFT, as I tapped for her using her words.

(Set-up)

Even though I’m terrified of the dentist… and I feel like I want to cry… I don’t want to be there… I don’t want to go through with this… I still love and accept myself.

(Tapping the points for “terrified…feel like I want to cry… don’t want to go through with this”)

(Set-up)

Even though my whole body doesn’t want to do this… my whole body wants to get out of there… I forgive myself for feeling this way… and I honor myself for having the courage to face this fear…

(Tapping the points for, my whole body doesn’t want to do this… I want to get out of there… I feel it in my body…)

Susan felt a little better. The feeling of wanting to cry had subsided. I asked her to describe what she anticipated about the whole procedure step-by-step and we would tap for every detail.

Even though I don’t want them to put that swab in my mouth… with the local anesthetic… I hate that cotton in my mouth… I hate the taste… I’m still a good person… and I accept myself completely…

Even though I’m terrified of the needle that will inject the novacaine… I can’t stand to have that injection in my gum… I love and accept myself…

I asked her more about how she felt physically to think of these things that would have to be done in her mouth. She said, “My mouth is really tight. My mouth wants to close up and keep all this out. My mouth doesn’t want to open.”

So we tapped for,

Even though my mouth is all tight…doesn’t want to open… wants to stay tightly closed and keep those things out… I love and accept my body… I love and accept my mouth…. I know my mouth is doing the best it can to protect me….and spare me pain… but I want my body to know… I want my mouth to know… that the dental work is to help my teeth and protect my teeth and spare me real pain in the future…

We tapped the points for, “This tight mouth…doesn’t want to open…”

Susan reported that her mouth still felt tight, so I said, “Tell me more about what you’re feeling inside.” She said it felt like they were violating her privacy and forcing her to do something she didn’t want to do, and that really bothered her. So we tapped for those words:

Even though it feels like this is violating my privacy… forcing me against my will… forcing me to do something I don’t want to do… I deeply and completely accept myself…

This seemed like a good emotional theme to pursue, so I asked her if this feeling reminded her of anything else. First, she thought of some relationship issues where she had felt pressured to do some things she didn’t want to do… so we tapped for those and added some choice statements:

“Even though others may pressure me… to do what I don’t want….I know I have the right to walk away… I choose to be powerful… I choose to walk away.”

Then I asked if she could let her mind drift back in time and see if there was anything in the deeper past, perhaps in childhood, that this reminded her of. “Maybe being forced to eat things I didn’t want sometimes,” she said. I asked her, “Can you think of a specific incident?” “Yes,” she said. “I’m remembering a time when I was about 9 and my mother made a special stew for dinner. A small bowl was enough for me and I didn’t want seconds, but my mother really wanted me to have more. I wanted to say no, but I didn’t want to disappoint my mom… so I forced it down…but I got sick afterwards.”

I said, “Just be 9 now…be 9 in your mind… just be that girl… and we’ll tap for her”

It went like this…

Even though I don’t want any more stew… I’ve had enough… I want to say no… I still accept myself… and even though I couldn’t say no and walk away… and I ate the stew … because I really wanted to please her… didn’t want to disappoint her… even though I was forced to eat something I didn’t want… and I got sick… wish I could have just said no…. I was doing the best I could… didn’t want to disappoint my mom…. Now I will say no and walk away… if it’s something I don’t want… wish I could say no and walk away from the dentist…

Susan felt more peaceful about the childhood incident after that, but it was unclear if we’d made any progress on the dentist issue.

So I had her go back and replay in her mind the entire procedure… the local anesthesia… the needle… she reported quite a difference. She said that she still felt anxious but, even though she didn’t like it, she could imagine herself going through with it.

We continued for every part of the procedure, the drilling, the noise, the fingers in her mouth, the water squirting in, having to keep her mouth open, afraid her mouth was too small and would be painfully stretched — there were dozens of aspects! We tapped for them all. Finally, we tapped using her desire to “be powerful” to reframe the whole situation.

“Even though I don’t enjoy this dental work, I choose to face my fear and be powerful and do what needs to be done… I can be powerful and choose to face my fear… I’m the one choosing this.”

It was a marathon session, nearly 3 hours. And Susan still felt pretty anxious about the dentist when she left. We would see……

So I was relieved when her phone message several days later said, “The techniques really, really worked! I was still trembling, but I could tap, and was totally relaxed, so we were able to get the dental work done. My dentist was very pleased — he said it was like night and day.”

Tapping For Kids is designed to help children (7-11) overcome traumas and problems of everyday life by using EFT. Through a mix of story, activities, rhymes and tapping scripts, the book effectively enhances children’s learning and shows them how EFT can be used to help them overcome their fears, worries and everyday traumas, while at the same time building up their self-esteem. The story in the book is set within “The EFT Palace of Possibilities for Kids”, a multilevel healing high rise where its ‘Caretaker’, known as the TapMeister, runs play shops to help children ‘master the art of tapping’ – a popular new kids movement taking the world by storm! For more information about the book, visit http://www.tappingforkids.com

Help Promote Tapping For Kids

If you are interested in helping to promote and share Tapping For Kids with your clients, friends, mailing lists and online communities, DragonRising offers an attractive affiliate program which you are invited to join.

REVIEW

Here is a review from an 8 year old reader..

“I liked how the book used songs to help you remember the Happy Buttons. I also love how the children in the book travel the 8 floors and each of the floors have a special activity for you to do or something to learn about tapping. I already now a little bit about tapping, but now I know alot more and it seems like more fun and something easy to do on your own” Antonia S, Nth Dandenong VIC

TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique)is a gentle, simple and powerful healing technique that combines lightly holding a few acupressure points on your head as you put your attention on a problem.

TAT is well established in America and Europe, though relatively new to Australia. In January, 2008, a small group of practitioners (including myself) attended a TAT workshop in Melbourne. It was the first TAT workshop ever held in Australia. The teacher was Reza Gunawan, an Holistic Health Practitioner based in Jakarta, Indonesia. He is a very gifted and insightful man who inspired everyone with his love and appreciation for the TAT process.

Reza is now returning to Melbourne to lead a special TAT group healing session in Burwood. This is a fabulous healing opportunity for anyone interested in experiencing the benefits of TAT.

WHEN?

Friday, November 7, 2008.
6 – 7 pm to learn the TAT pose
7.30 pm for the group healing, followed by supper.

In August, 2008, a TAT workshop was held in America for combat veterans and active military personnel. Retired Colonel, Brian Davis attended, just to prove that TAT wouldn’t help soldiers. The first night of the workshop, he decided to work on the very worst trauma that ever happened to him in combat. When he returned for the second night, the TAT team was in tears after he told them that he had dreamed of his children for the first time ever and that he’d slept well for the first time in years. He explained that previously, he’d typically wake up 15 times a night in one combat situation or another, pace through his home, sleep restlessly again and would finally greet the day in a torn up bed. After learning TAT, he reported that the bedding next to him was smooth and unruffled from his peaceful sleep. His story was reported in the local Columbus, Georgia newspaper.

Further workshops for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are under way in America.

TAT for Disaster Relief

The same aspects of TAT that make it deal for war veterans also apply in the event of a major disaster because it is very simple to learn and always uses the same acupuncture points on the head. TAT does not require anyone to relive or re-experience a trauma. It is actually less language-intensive than other forms of
therapeutic intervention and allows a person to focus attention on the issue as s/he sees it, without having to describe what happened or put words to it in any way.

TAT has an outstanding track record for use in disaster relief around the world. The Mexican Association for Crisis Therapy used TAT with large groups of about 1,650 children after natural disasters in Mexico (floods), Nicaragua (floods and landslides), Colombia (earthquake) and Venezuela (floods and landslides). TAT was also used successfully for Tsunami relief in Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia.

Another great issue of EFT World for you, featuring a new book on EFT called “EFT for Dummies” reviewed by Prof Tam Llewellyn-Edwards, EFT Master, EFT Honors Certificate.

Also Angie Muccillo Author of “Tapping For Kids” talks about empowering kids to tap on their own. EFT is such a powerful tool for kids and some say that our children are our greatest teachers.

One of their strengths when very young is the fearless ability to get in there and have a go, something we may lose as we get older and more self-conscious.

Our culture tends to disapprove of making mistakes, but we can really learn and get to know something by learning from our mistakes. In NLP they say “there is no such thing as failure only information”.

One of my favorite kids’ stories is about a nativity play where three boys played the three kings. For some reason things got a little muddled and the kings greeted the baby Jesus in the wrong order.

The first king said “I bring you myrrh”, the second king said “I bring you gold”, and the third king said “frank sent this”. Kids are always willing to have a go!

Also featured in this edition, an exclusive in depth interview with internationally recognised teacher and trainer Tania Prince. Tania talks about TAT and how EFT helped her get beyond her own shyness. Tania also gives you ideas on how to get started and shares her thoughts about how you can improve and develop your delivery of the Emotional Freedom Techniques. We are blessed to feature two masters of EFT in this edition of EFT World with EFT Master Judy Byrne talking with me about how we need to work hand in hand in a complementary fashion with the medical world. Judy also offers advice and tips on improving your ability as an EFT Practitioner.